This invention relates to a novel system and method for purifying the exhaust gases emitted from internal combustion engines and more particularly to a system and method for removing particulate emissions from said exhaust gases.
The exhaust gas from internal combustion engines contains finely divided particulate matter which consists largely of carbon particles. The reduction of particulate emissions from the exhaust of internal combustion engines is a matter of considerable importance at the present time. A number of devices or systems have been proposed for this purpose with varying degrees of success. A major desideratum of such devices is that they be capable of undergoing regeneration so as to maintain effectiveness over long periods. Regeneration techniques which reduce the efficiency of the particulate removing devices or which result in damage thereto, such as by the formation of excessive amounts of corrosive gases, are not satisfactory. Regeneration techniques which produce excessive amounts of harmful by-products, such as sulfates, are likewise not satisfactory.